The World Within
by A very odd fellow
Summary: What if Niflheim wasn't inhabited by just demons? What if, before the demons invaded, it had been a normal world, with normal civilizations, very much like the world of Symphonia? SheenaXLloyd


A/N: Ok, I've wanted to do a shelloyd for a while now, so I'm finally starting. The credit goes to holyknightsteve for this story idea, just so everybody knows. He is the author of the best Shelloyd out there, and any of you that haven't read it should do so. After reviewing, of course. Please R & R

**The World Within **

**Prologue: A new world.**

"Ok, this is the last step to purifying the world of Abyssion's evil." Raine announced to the group, which was standing around a mysterious book in the Sybak library.

"So let's hurry up and destroy it!" Lloyd exclaimed excitedly.

"It seems the only way to destroy it is to defeat the demons that exist within." Rain replied patiently, glancing at her notes.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Lloyd asked impatiently.

"This is not a step to be taken rashly, Lloyd. Once we enter this book, there are only two ways out. The first is to defeat all the demons. The second is death." Raine said solemnly.

Lloyd gulped, but pressed on with confidence. "Don't worry; I'm sure we can handle whatever comes our way. If anyone has any doubts, now is the time to back out. I don't want to force anyone to do this." Lloyd said, looking around. When no one spoke up, he continued. "Alright, Sheena, do your thing."

Sheena nodded and held up a card. "Master of time and space, I summon thee. Origin!"

"Yes, Pact-maker?"

"We'd like to enter this book."

"I sense a strong evil within. I may not be able to extract you if you run into trouble. Are you certain?" Origin inquired.

"Yes, we have decided." Sheena responded firmly.

"As you wish." Origin said, and the group felt themselves pulled in a direction they didn't know existed.

"Whoa, that was weird." Lloyd said after Origin's action, "Oomph! Sheena, have a nice landing?" Lloyd asked with a grin.

"Oh!" Sheena exclaimed, blushing and standing up quickly.

"Are you okay Sheena? Your face looks a little red." Lloyd said, looking at her closely.

"Uh…Hey, the others are here!" Sheena said, relieved at the interruption.

Zelos had appeared with his arm around Collette. "Zelos…" Lloyd said dangerously.

"Hey Lloyd! Zelos made sure I didn't get separated during the trip! Isn't he the sweetest?" Collette said excitedly, "I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted."

"Just being a friend." Zelos said nervously, moving to Collette's side opposite of Lloyd, "Look, Genis and Raine are here!"

"Sheesh, Genis, you're already slowing us down." Lloyd said as his friend appeared.

"Sorry, Raine couldn't resist making one last study of the book." Genis shrugged.

SMACK

Raine slapped the offending pair. "Shut up you two. We're on a mission."

"From God." Genis and Lloyd quipped.

SMACK

"Let's get a handle on our location. We don't want to be caught unprepared." Raine said curtly.

"This doesn't look like the inside of a book." Lloyd said, looking around.

Genis and Raine sighed, "My theory is that this book serves as a portal to an alternate dimension." Raine explained.

"Oh…I knew that." Lloyd said.

"Sure, Lloyd, we believe you." Genis said.

"Stop right there!" A voice commanded. "Lay down your weapons!"

"Demon, how dumb do you think we are?" Lloyd retorted, drawing his material blades.

"Lloyd, when will you learn that you really don't want to learn the answer to that question?" Raine asked.

"Sis, _you_ assume Lloyd is actually capable of learning. _I_ think you overestimate him." Genis commented.

"What was that?" Lloyd asked, putting Genis in a headlock.

"Just who are you people?" The same voice asked.

"Give me your name and I shall give you mine." Lloyd countered.

"Why sho—"

"That's Kevin, and we're the resistance!" A female voice interrupted.

"Strange, they don't sound French." Raine mused.

"I'm Lloyd!" Lloyd replied, looking around to make sure it was alright for him to introduce everyone else. When no one objected, he proceeded, "The girl that used me as a landing pad is Sheena. Sheena blushed, waving. "I _will_ kill anyone who tries to make a move on her while we're here; that is, if she doesn't beat me to it." Sheena blushed a deeper shade of red. "Colette is the girl with the long blonde hair. I'm surprised she hasn't tripped yet." As if on cue, Colette fell flat on her face. Well, she would have, if a certain red-haired chosen hadn't dived beneath her. Lloyd continued, "Zelos is the red-haired man currently beneath Colette. He's also a pervert, so you might want to keep your women at a safe distance. He is the world's foremost expert on the pain Sheena can dish out, so if you start having those kinds of thoughts, he should be able to help." Lloyd let his voice rise for a minute, "And if he doesn't get out from under Colette this instant, no woman will ever have to worry about him again!" Zelos helped Colette up, shrugging off his bud's 'threats'. Lloyd glared at him for a moment, but pressed onward, "Presea is the little girl with the big axe. I don't pity the pedophile that picks on her. Genis is the boy that I had in a headlock a minute ago. He's a wise-guy, but I can always beat on him if he gets too cocky. Regal is the gentleman in the handcuffs. He actually put them on himself, but that's a story for another time. And finally, Raine is the woman over there muttering to herself. She packs quite a punch, as Genis and I can attest." Lloyd finished.

"Isn't that word a bit advanced for your vocabulary, Lloyd?" Genis jibed.

"You're askin' for it, boy." Lloyd retorted.

"Just let them up here, Kevin." The female voice said.

"Fine." Kevin grumbled. "Okay, my wife says to trust you. Come on up." He called out.

"What was that?" Lloyd asked from his position behind Kevin.

"Ahh! When did you get behind me?" Kevin yelled, startled by their sudden appearance.

"Just now, while you were talking to your master-I mean, wife." Lloyd answered nonchalantly.

"You didn't notice?" Genis laughed at the man's surprise, "And I thought Lloyd was slow!"

Raine cut in before Lloyd could make his retort, "Silence you two; we have a job to do."

"Oh, right." Lloyd said, turning to Kevin's wife, "So, how the hell did you get here?" He asked.

SMACK

Raine turned to the woman, "I apologize for my student's rudeness, but he does have a point. All the evidence in our world pointed toward this place being occupied by demons."

"Oh, there's no doubt about that. Unfortunately, we're the minority by far." She replied. "The demons invaded during the reign of my great-grandfather."

"Ah, I thought I sensed royal blood in your veins." Zelos walked toward the woman.

"Back off, buddy." Kevin stepped in front of him.

Zelos sighed, "All the good ones are taken…except for you, my angel hunny." He said, returning to Collette's side. "And Sheena, although she wishes she were." He muttered under his breath.

"Shut up, idiot chosen." Sheena threatened.

"At least I'm not afraid to make a move." Zelos countered.

"What're you two talking about?" Lloyd asked, looking back and forth between Zelos and Sheena.

"Nothing!" Sheena blushed.

"Anyway," Raine interjected, turning back to the woman, "You were saying…"

"Ah, yes. Well, Niflheim was a good place. It had its faults, mind you, but overall, it wasn't a bad place to be. That is, until the demons invaded. According to the story my grandfather has passed down through our family, a portal just opened in the sky one day, and thousands upon thousands of demons passed through. The capital was overrun within days; there were just too many of them and not enough time to prepare a proper defense. The population was enslaved in the years following, although some have escaped their clutches." She finished, referencing the group around them.

"Fascinating…" Raine had entered full-blown archeological mode. "Entire new civilizations to study…"

"Oh no; you've really done it now…" Lloyd said, shaking his head.

"WE MUST LEARN ALL ABOUT THESE UNFORTUNATE CIVILIZATIONS!" Raine exclaimed.

The group surrounding them sweatdropped.

"She gets like this every time she finds something new to study." Genis answered everyone's unspoken question.

"Let's just kick these demons' asses, help these people reclaim their world, and get out of here." Lloyd said.

"You're bored already?" Genis exclaimed.

A/N: Well, there's the prologue. Again, a big 'thank you' to holyknightsteve for this idea; I can only pray this does him justice. I really haven't planned too much for this fic, so I'm willing to take any suggestions into account.

Kevin: Why do people always ignore me?

RL: Please review.

Kevin: Hey! I asked you a question!


End file.
